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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22601692">make you feel like new again</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ryseling/pseuds/ryseling'>ryseling</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Kingdom Hearts</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Flower Crowns, Fluff, Gift Giving, M/M, Post-Canon, Post-Kingdom Hearts III, Tenderness, Touch-Starved, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff, Vanitas Swears (Kingdom Hearts), i love that that's a tag, no beta we die like men, this is literally just sappy nonsense</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 11:41:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,728</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22601692</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ryseling/pseuds/ryseling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Still doesn’t tell me what the Hell I’m doing out here,” Vanitas groused, sitting back and crossing his arms. He jutted his chin at the fresh flower crown now sitting nicely beside the pale yellow one that Ventus had made earlier, adding, “You don’t need my help making that stuff for Aqua or Terra, so there’s really no point in me being here.”</p><p>“Sure there is!” his companion argued. He shuffled over until their knees brushed, leaning down so their foreheads were almost touching, and took one of Vanitas’s hands in his own.</p><p>“I’m still going to make one for <i>you</i>,” Ventus told him softly, eyes upturned in fond crescents. “And I wanna make sure I get it right.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It's springtime in the Land of Departure, Ventus is enthusiastic about the return of flowers, and somehow this is Vanitas's life.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Vanitas/Ventus (Kingdom Hearts)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>125</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>make you feel like new again</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This whole thing got started 'cause I saw some pretty flowers the other day that reminded me of Vanitas. I maybe think too much about these boys.</p><p>Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! I'm not usually a big Valentine's person, but I'm in a romantic mood this year, I suppose. Enjoy this sappy nonsense~</p><p>Title from "Dizzy On the Comedown" by Turnover.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“This is fucking stupid.”</p><p> </p><p>Ventus grinned at him, all but beaming even as Vanitas twisted his face into a sour expression in return. “Don’t be a spoilsport,” he responded cheerfully. “It’s <i>festive</i>, Van!”</p><p> </p><p>Vanitas scoffed, watching as the blonde carefully plucked another pink flower off of the bush he was crouched in front of, quickly straightening up to weave it into the crown of stems and blossoms he held in his hands. “Festive my ass,” he muttered. “I don’t see why you had to drag me out here for this, anyway. You don’t need my input to make a bunch of these dumb things for your friends.”</p><p> </p><p>“They’re <i>your</i> friends too,” Ventus reminded him, shooting a look at him over his shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>“Like Hell,” Vanitas refuted offhandedly, even as his eyes lingered on a set of pale purple blooms that he idly considered might make Xion smile, or that Naminé might like to draw. His light merely chuckled at him, probably seeing right through the deflection, and shook his head as he went back to weaving the new flower into the circlet in his hands. </p><p> </p><p>“Roxas and Axel are gonna uninvite you from the next get-together in Twilight Town with that kind of talk,” he warned lightly, finally turning around to offer Vanitas a grin.</p><p> </p><p>Standing there, surrounded by the greenery of the forested foothills around the castle in the Land of Departure, highlighted by bursts of color from many newly-bloomed flowers, and illuminated by the afternoon sunlight, Ventus was almost painfully bright. He was entirely impossible to look away from. The way he smiled, the expression lightening his whole face and subtly changing the particular shade of blue in his eyes, was unfairly breathtaking.</p><p> </p><p>Vanitas pulled himself out of his thoughts enough to scowl when Ventus began to approach the rock he was sitting on, flower crown still clutched in his hands. “If you say that thing is for me, you’re not getting any dinner,” he intoned flatly.</p><p> </p><p>Ventus made a face at him. “Oh, come on, you know I’ve got better taste than that!” he huffed.</p><p> </p><p>“Debatable,” Vanitas drawled.</p><p> </p><p>Ventus stuck his tongue out at him, stepping around him to reach the other side of the rock. “Well, I’ve got <i>enough</i> taste to know that pink isn’t really your color, at least,” he reasoned, lifting the wreath of fuchsia blossoms up beside Vanitas’s face to emphasize. Vanitas lifted a hand to swat the offending object away half-heartedly, narrowly missing his target when the blonde neatly dodged out of the way and finally set the crown down on the stone.</p><p> </p><p>“Still doesn’t tell me what the Hell I’m doing out here,” Vanitas groused, sitting back and crossing his arms. He jutted his chin at the fresh flower crown now sitting nicely beside the pale yellow one that Ventus had made earlier, adding, “You don’t need my help making that stuff for Aqua or Terra, so there’s really no point in me being here.”</p><p> </p><p>“Sure there is!” his companion argued. He shuffled over until their knees brushed, leaning down so their foreheads were almost touching, and took one of Vanitas’s hands in his own.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m still going to make one for <i>you</i>,” Ventus told him softly, eyes upturned in fond crescents. “And I wanna make sure I get it right.”</p><p> </p><p>The way that their proximity had his other half’s breaths dusting over Vanitas’s cheeks with every word made his own exhale come out just the slightest bit shaky. He held onto Ventus’s hand a little tighter for stability, feeling something melt in his chest when scarred, calloused fingers gently squeezed his in return, steady and reassuring. Being close to Ventus always felt warm, but like this - both of them bathed in springtime sunlight, Ventus’s hair a golden halo around his head, his blue eyes light and glimmering with affection - Vanitas couldn’t imagine <i>ever</i> feeling cold. He pressed closer to that warmth as if magnetized to Ventus’s presence (but not like he used to be, not because of any bond forced upon them, but rather because of a desire built, step by step, from tenderness and trust, to be together like <i>this</i> rather than how they once were) and rested their foreheads together gently.</p><p> </p><p>“You know what I look like,” Vanitas pointed out, voice coming out quiet - almost hushed - in the scant space  left between them.</p><p> </p><p>Ventus puffed out a soft laugh, incidentally ruffling dark bangs. “Yeah,” he agreed, “But it’s still nicer to have you here while I make it.”</p><p> </p><p>Vanitas could almost feel his face flushing. “Get on with it, then,” he challenged.</p><p> </p><p>The blonde merely laughed again, giving his hand one last squeeze and planting a kiss on Vanitas’s cheek before he withdrew. Vanitas watched him as he moved back towards the edge of the clearing once more, face surely red by now and skin tingling just a bit where Ventus had kissed him. Simple, easy affection like this still felt a little strange to him - strange to want, and stranger still to receive, let alone so freely. It was easier now to relax into gentle touches than it used to be, but it hadn’t yet ceased to be something that baffled him. The craving he had for this newer, kinder form of contact felt too big for his skin, sometimes, but it was easier to let himself <i>want</i> with Ventus, easier to face the prospect of shaking apart at touches that didn’t hurt.</p><p> </p><p>A triumphant whoop sounded from behind a few trees, and Vanitas raised his brows at his companion as Ventus popped back into view, sauntering over to him and grinning like the damn sun.</p><p> </p><p>“<i>Told you</i> I have good taste,” he said smugly, presenting a handful of flowers to his darker half proudly.</p><p> </p><p>Vanitas blinked at the blossoms, leaning forward a bit to get a better look at them. They didn’t have a great number of petals per flower, but each one was bright red, with vibrant yellow staining their pointed edges. The center of each flower was dark, almost black, and the stems were long and spindly - good for weaving together, he imagined. Vanitas had never considered himself much of a flower person, but looking at these ones (offered to him in Ventus’s outstretched hand, reaching for him, giving this feeling of love and safety to <i>him</i>), he thought that they were rather beautiful.</p><p> </p><p>“They're not terrible,” he determined, sitting back again and crossing his arms over his chest.</p><p> </p><p>Ventus chuckled, unbothered by the lukewarm response. “They suit you,” he insisted. “They’re nearly the same shade as your eyes, in this light.”</p><p> </p><p>Vanitas only hummed vaguely in response, but his mouth lifted a bit on the side, unable to completely hide how pleased he was by that fact. He much preferred having his red eyes back to the gold he’d worn before.</p><p> </p><p>The soft look that Ventus gave him made him think that the other boy knew.</p><p> </p><p>The blonde had him scoot off of the rock to sit on the ground, shuffling over to take Vanitas’s place on the makeshift bench a moment later. His light’s knees bracketed his shoulders, Ventus pressing up behind him (warm, so <i>warm</i>) and touching the fingers of one hand to Vanitas’s shoulder, a light pressure that tacitly asked for permission. He leaned back after a moment to grant it, allowing the other boy to take some of his weight. Ventus leaned his forehead against the top of his head as if in thanks, and Vanitas thought he could feel him smiling even without seeing him or feeling his lips against skin.</p><p> </p><p>Ventus kept his hand where it was on Vanitas’s shoulder, his other one coming up to replace his head when he sat up. Coarse fingers combed gently through his hair, occasionally curling a dark lock around a digit, and soon enough, soft, melodic humming was filling the air around them. It took a few moments, but the darker of the two relaxed incrementally with each steady, soothing pass of fingers through his hair, muscles loosening and full weight slumping back. Ventus let out a tiny huff of breath at the added weight, but didn’t complain. Vanitas thought he might have been smiling again.</p><p> </p><p>Only after minutes of this did Ventus move one of his hands to retrieve the flowers he had collected. His careful weaving and rearranging of stems and blossoms was surprisingly non-disruptive, felt nearly the same as his earlier motions, even. Vanitas stayed still, for the moment more interested in listening to Ventus’s quiet humming as he worked than in getting a rise out of his other half. When the blonde brushed his fingertips over Vanitas’s temple, curling a soft strand of hair around his finger, and tucked the strand behind his ear with almost overwhelming tenderness, Vanitas felt his eyelashes flutter, a tiny breath punched from his lungs by the way his pulse stuttered and his chest suddenly felt too full.</p><p> </p><p>As if sensing the ache of the feelings that were caught between his ribs, Ventus drew his hands back, returning then to his darker half’s shoulders instead. Vanitas could hear the pleased smile in his voice when he declared, “All done.”</p><p> </p><p>Vanitas reached up, lightly touching the wreath of flowers perched atop his head. Gifts, too, were new - and those, especially, felt too good to be true, felt like waiting for the other shoe to drop - but his apprehension faded a bit when he turned around to see Ventus’s smile for himself, melting into quiet wonder instead.</p><p> </p><p>He could <i>have</i> this. After so much time spent being nothing but a pawn, a weapon, a battle waiting to happen, he could have <i>this</i>: tenderness, gentle affection, and soft, unwavering devotion.</p><p> </p><p>And he could return it, too.</p><p> </p><p>“Great,” he muttered sarcastically, pushing himself to his feet and rolling his shoulders. “I’m taking this off as soon as we get back to the castle.”</p><p> </p><p>Ventus scrunched up his face in exasperation, attempting a scowl that really looked more like a pout. “<i>Vani</i>,” he started to complain, but cut himself off when Vanitas stuck out a hand to him.</p><p> </p><p>“Come on,” he said gruffly. “I’ve still got to find flowers for yours.”</p><p> </p><p>The look on Ventus’s face was like the sunrise, and he took Vanitas’s hand to let the ravenette pull him up. Their hands stayed clasped together the whole way back to the castle.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>For anyone curious, Vanitas's crown is made out of firewheel flowers, Aqua's is made from pink dahlias, Terra's is goldenrod and yarrow, and Ven's would be blue larkspur~</p><p>Comments and kudos are always appreciated! Or, if you prefer, come yell at me on <a href="https://ryseling.tumblr.com">Tumblr!</a></p><p>Hope y'all enjoyed~</p></blockquote></div></div>
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